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C. SPOFFORD.

Car Brake.

Patented Nov. 12, 1867.

Inventor:

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AM. PHOTD-LITHOCOJLY. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS) Witnesses: h

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CHARLES SPOFFORI), OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOHGHARLES SPOFFORD, WALTER E. HAWES, CHARLES HERSEY, AND FRANCIS E. HERSEY, OF- SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 70,911, dated November 12, 1867.

GAR-BRAKE.

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TO `ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SPOFFORD, of Boston, in the countyof Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Brakes for Railroad Cars and other carriages, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-.- I

Figure l is a plan of the upper side of the truck of a railroad car with my improvements applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a plan .of the` under side of the same.

Figure 3 is a section on the`line x a: of gs. 1E and 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line y y of figs. 1,- 2, and 3.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the mechanism for operating the brakes of railroad cars and other carriages, and consists in eccentric-gear in connection with an armfor operating the levers by which the brakes are brought in contact'with the wheels, whereby the length of the leverage is increased, and the re uired amount of frictibn roduced'in a ra id manner b a radualA a lieation of the ower, and without the I q P P y g PP P necessity of turning the brake-wheel an entire revolution.

Myinvention-furthermore consists in taking the power' directly from the car-wheel to bring the brake v against lit,"b y the employment of a friction-wheel which is thrown `in contact therewith by a new combination of levers, one of which extends up from the door or platform, and is operated by the hand of the brakeman.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner inwhich' it is carried out. l v

In the said drawings, A is Vthe truck of a railroad car, in suitable bearings, @einv which revolve the shafts B, which carry the wheels C. vTo a standard, D, secured at 5tol the under side ofthe truck, is pivoted, at c, a

long lever, E, to which, at d e, are secured the inner ends of two arms or rods, Fv G, the vouter ends of these rods being attached atfg to the brakes H I, one method of operating which will now bev described.

J is a bar or rod, one end of which is secured at h to the lever E, the otherendoi` the rod being'connected.

by a cord or chain, t', to the outer end ofan arm, K, secured to the bottom of a short vertical shaflftp the top of which is fixed an eccentriclgear, M, which engages with an eccentric-gear, N, of corresponding'size and form, securedto the bottom of a-vertical shaft, O which'is revolved inthe direction of the i'ed arrow, by power applied to the brake-wheel P. As the eccentricgear N turns that, M, the resistance to be overcome is but slight at first, andthe brake is taken in rapidly, the resistance gradually increasing` and the distance through which the eccentric-gear move decreasing toward the end of the braking-up operation, the brake-wheel being turned only a partial revolution. The'position of the eccentric-gear M N may be changed if desired, viz, they Amaybe placed vertically insteadl of' horizontally, and be operated by foot or by hand.

The second portion of my invention will now be described.

The inner face of each of the wheels C is recessed out for the reception of a circulardisk, Q, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, the said disk being thrown out into contact with the surface of a wheel, C, by pressing downen the head -kgof an upright arm, R, connected at l to one end of a long lever, S, the .other end of the-lever being secured to a standard, m, which forms its fulcrum, two bifurcated arms, 'rt o, provided with friction-slee ves p, being connected to each other, and. the lever S at g, which, on being depressed, throws out the lower ends of the arms y'n o, causing the sleeve p to 'force the disk Q against the face of its wheel, which imparts its `motion-theretty and in revolving winds up tho cord or chain 1, which connects thc wheel with thc end s of the lever E, and,

through theoconnections above described, securely clampingthe brakes H I upon the wheels. Instead 'of applying the friction of thedisk Q directly to the face of a. carwheel, C, an intermediate wheel on its shaft B may be employed for receiving and transmitting thefriotion lto the disk, if desired; but I wish it to be understood that I do not claim operating the brake 4by either of these last-deseribed methods.

4The thir-'l arrangement which I employ for operating the brakes will now.be set forth. v

'I' is a friction-wheel, the periphery of which is hollowedlout to receive the flange t of one of the wheels C. This friction-wheel is secured to one end of a shaft, Uywhich is supported in bearings at v, secured to theunder side of the framework, the bearing u being formed in an arm or bar,` w, provided with slots z, through which pass screws 6 into the framework. To the outer end of this arm is pivoted an upright lever or shipper, 7, which *i is operated by the brakeman.

By the construction above described, the arm may beinstantly slid longitudinally in either direction,- thereby l throwngvthe friction-Wheel in and out of contact with the car-Wheel to which it is applied. When the frictionwheel T Vembraces the car-wheel, and is'rovolved simultaneously therewith, a cord or e hain, 8, connecting the lever E with the shaft U, is wound around thereon, thus operating both brakes.

What l claim as my invention, and desire toseeure by Letters Patent, isf- 'lhe eccentric-ear M N,\'vhen used with mechanism for o eratinff the brakes of railroad cars etc., substan a P c: 9 1 tially as described.

I also claim the friction-wheel T, in combination with a slotted bar, w,'and shipperl 7, for taking the power from the periphery of a car-wheel, C, to wind up the brake, substantially as set forth.

CHAS. SPOFFORD. Witnesses 2 e N. W.- STEAnNs, W. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

